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List of historic states of Germany

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Germany is traditionally a country organized as a federal state. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the German-speaking territories of the empire became allied in the German Confederation (1815–1866), a league of states with some federalistic elements. After the Austro-Prussian War, Prussia led the Northern states into a federal state called the North German Confederation (1867–1870). The Southern states joined the federal state in 1870/71, which was consequently renamed the German Empire (1871–1918). The state continued as the Weimar Republic (1919–1933).

Present-day Germany is a federal republic which combines the States of Germany.

States of the German Confederation

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A map of the German Confederation.
State Capital
Empires (Kaisertümer)
Austria (Österreich)
(only western Cisleithania)
Vienna
Kingdoms (Königreiche)
Bavaria (Bayern) Munich
Hanover (Hannover) Hanover
Prussia (Preußen)
(excluding Posen, East Prussia and West Prussia)
Berlin
Saxony (Sachsen) Dresden
Württemberg Stuttgart
Electorates (Kurfürstentum)
Hesse-Kassel (Hessen-Kassel) Kassel
Grand Duchies (Großherzogtümer)
Baden Karlsruhe
Hesse-Darmstadt (Hessen-Darmstadt) Darmstadt
Luxembourg (Luxemburg) Luxembourg
Mecklenburg-Schwerin Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Strelitz Neustrelitz
Oldenburg Oldenburg
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) Weimar
Duchies (Herzogtümer)
Anhalt – from 1863 Dessau
Brunswick (Braunschweig) Braunschweig
Holstein Glückstadt
Limburg – from 1839 N/A
Nassau Wiesbaden
Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) – from 1826 Altenburg
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) – from 1826 Coburg
Saxe-Lauenburg Ratzeburg
Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) Meiningen
Principalities (Fürstentümer)
Hohenzollern-Hechingen – to Prussia in 1850 Hechingen
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen – to Prussia in 1850 Sigmaringen
Liechtenstein Vaduz
Lippe Detmold
Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) Gera
Reuss-Greiz (Elder Line) Greiz
Schaumburg-Lippe Bückeburg
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Sondershausen
Waldeck and Pyrmont (Waldeck und Pyrmont) Arolsen
Landgraviates (Landgrafschaft)
Hesse-Homburg (Hessen-Homburg) – from 1817 Bad Homburg
Free Cities (Freie Städte)
Bremen
Frankfurt
Hamburg
Lübeck
States merged to form Anhalt
Anhalt-Dessau – merged with Anhalt-Bernburg in 1863 Dessau
Anhalt-Bernburg – merged with Anhalt-Dessau in 1863 Bernburg
Anhalt-Köthen – merged with Anhalt-Dessau in 1853 Köthen
States split between Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,
Saxe-Meiningen, and Saxe-Altenburg in 1826
Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg) Gotha
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld) Coburg
Saxe-Hildburghausen (Sachsen-Hildburghausen) Hildburghausen

In 1864, Austria and Prussia together became the new sovereign of Holstein (a member of the confederation) and Schleswig (outside the confederation).

A map of the North German Confederation.
State Capital
Kingdoms (Königreiche)
Prussia (Preußen) as a whole
(including Lauenburg)
Berlin
Saxony (Sachsen) Dresden
Grand Duchies (Großherzogtümer)
Hesse (Hessen)
(Only Upper Hesse, the province north of the river Main)
Giessen
Mecklenburg-Schwerin Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Strelitz Neustrelitz
Oldenburg Oldenburg
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) Weimar
Duchies (Herzogtümer)
Anhalt Dessau
Brunswick (Braunschweig) Braunschweig
Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) Altenburg
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) Coburg
Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) Meiningen
Principalities (Fürstentümer)
Lippe Detmold
Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) Gera
Reuss-Greiz (Elder Line) Greiz
Schaumburg-Lippe Bückeburg
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Sondershausen
Waldeck and Pyrmont (Waldeck und Pyrmont) Arolsen
Free and Hanseatic Cities (Freie und Hansestädte)
Bremen
Hamburg
Lübeck

States of the German Empire

[edit]
A map of the German Empire.
State Capital
Kingdoms (Königreiche)
Prussia (Preußen) as a whole Berlin
Bavaria (Bayern) Munich
Saxony (Sachsen) Dresden
Württemberg Stuttgart
Grand Duchies (Großherzogtümer)
Baden Karlsruhe
Hesse (Hessen) Darmstadt
Mecklenburg-Schwerin Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Strelitz Neustrelitz
Oldenburg Oldenburg
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) Weimar
Duchies (Herzogtümer)
Anhalt Dessau
Brunswick (Braunschweig) Braunschweig
Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) Altenburg
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) Coburg
Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) Meiningen
Principalities (Fürstentümer)
Lippe Detmold
Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) Gera
Reuss-Greiz (Elder Line) Greiz
Schaumburg-Lippe Bückeburg
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Sondershausen
Waldeck and Pyrmont (Waldeck und Pyrmont) Arolsen
Free and Hanseatic Cities (Freie und Hansestädte)
Bremen
Hamburg
Lübeck
Imperial Territories (Reichsländer)
Alsace–Lorraine (Elsass-Lothringen) Straßburg

States of the Weimar Republic

[edit]
A map of the Weimar Republic.
State Capital
Free States (Freistaaten)
Anhalt Dessau
Baden Karlsruhe
Bavaria (Bayern) Munich
Brunswick (Braunschweig) Braunschweig
Coburg – to Bavaria in 1920 Coburg
Hesse (Hessen) Darmstadt
Lippe Detmold
Mecklenburg-Schwerin Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Strelitz Neustrelitz
Oldenburg Oldenburg
Prussia (Preußen) Berlin
Saxony (Sachsen) Dresden
Schaumburg-Lippe Bückeburg
Thuringia (Thüringen) – from 1920 Weimar
Waldeck-Pyrmont – to Prussia
(Pyrmont joined Prussia in 1921, Waldeck followed in 1929)
Arolsen
Württemberg Stuttgart
Free and Hanseatic Cities (Freie und Hansestädte)
Bremen
Hamburg
Lübeck
States merged to form Thuringia in 1920
Gotha Gotha
Reuss Gera
Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) Altenburg
Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) Meiningen
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) Weimar
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Sondershausen

See also

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References

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